between dogs and bitches and eachclass is placed from first to fifth place.

To assess a dog completely, the judgemust have a ‘hands-on’ with the dog.At this stage of the process, the judge isfeeling for any abnormalities, muscle,bone and relevant breed characteristicsthat your dog should have.The judge will also asses movement,asking exhibitors to move their dogsaround the ring which will enable them tosee whether the dog moves correctly orif they’re ‘lame’.At a show, males are always judgedfirst, with the youngest dogs competingat the beginning, leading up to the moreexperienced show dogs. After judgingthese, each class winner will then re-enter the ring to compete for the best dogaward, the winner of whom will go on tocompete against the best bitch, beforecompeting for best of breed.This particular event, a championshipshow, is one of the most important typesof shows in the calendar – why? - Be-cause if you’re lucky enough to place 1st– 3rd, you’ll be invited to the greatest dogshow in the world, Crufts.Championship shows often offer someexhibited breeds the chance to win a‘ticket’ or challenge certificate for eachsex.

The ‘CC’ is awarded to the best un-beaten sexes out of the total number ofdogs in the breed, receive three of theseand your well on your way to securingyourself a show champion (Sh Ch).Out of the best bitch and dog, the judgewill declare one the best-of-breed, whowill then go on to represent the breed inthe group ring.As many of the exhibitors funnel out ofthe showground, those declared the bestspecimen of their breed line up in alpha-betical order to challenge one another forthe best in their group.There are seven groups: Utility, Toy,Hound, Pastoral, Working, Gundog andTerrier. It’s not a red carpet, but a blue carpetespecially kitted out for the dogs, who allenter the ring to their own introductionand a ruckus of applause.Hundreds of pairs of eyes gaze intentlyat each specimen, but only one pair mat-ters, the group judge, who in just underan hour will put one of these dogsthrough to best in show on the final night.Best-of-breeds in each group battle itout in a doggy-showdown to earn agroup placing of 1st – 4th, with the 1stplace sailing through to square up to theother six group winners for best-in-show.Best-in-show always lies on the final dayof the show, with group winners comingback to the showground to be judgedagainst each other for the title along witha runner up prize.For exhibitors, this is the ultimate acco-lade and each and every one of themimagines the day that their dog willprance around on the star studded car-pet, inside those white picket fences, tothe cheers, whistles and elation of theirdedicated fans.

Just about anyone with a pedigree dogand a little bit of patience can enter ashow and even for the most nervous ex-hibitor and the newcomers, the dog showscene can be a great way to make

friends for life as well as some friends foryour courageous canine.Training your dog to do what is requiredat one of these events may seem easyenough, but it can only be achieved by hard work and perseverance.Classes aimed specifically at dog show-ing are called ‘Ringcrafts’. There aremany situated around Staffordshire andthese are events, usually held in theevening, where like-minded people meeton a regular basis to improve their dogsring presence or to ‘give it a go’. Theseclasses are essentially a practice run forthe real thing and are set out just like adog show, with the aim of helping the dogperform and improving the handlers con-fidence in a relaxed and informal wayand most importantly, teaching you andyour dog a new sport to have fun with, to-gether.

The fur has flown over the last four daysat the Stafford showground and a newwinner has been crowned until next year.Only a year? Better start preening, pam-

pering and preparing your pooches onthe buzzer.

Get ready, get set, go!

For more information on shows in your area visit, www.thekennelclub.org.uk

Evenif someone asked

me to swap my dog with atop winning pedigree, the an-swer would be a firm no!

Whilst dog showing can be great fun,it is a competition, and you must re-

member that regardless of the ups anddowns, you and your family take thebest dog home at the end of the day -

and that’s how you must think.

-Roz Hickman, PADs dog training

Up-dos, curls, crimps, bows and a bit of back combing –it’s the start of a four-day pageant in Stafford – for dogs.More than 5,000 of them will bound around the countyshowground over four days, with many more thousands ofhuman chaperones hoping their dog will bag that best-in-show award.

These thousands of people and their canine companions arepart of a dedicated ring of hobbyists who, throughout the courseof the year, travel the length and breadth of the country com-peting to out do the rest in their quest to make their pets cham-pions of dogdom.The dog governing body, The Kennel Club, licenses over 5,000dog showing events each year, of which preparation lies in thehands of 2,000 different dog clubs in the UK. These clubs mark the followings of 210 registered pedigreebreeds recognised in the UK, who also hold their own licensedevents purely for their own breed.The iron gates of Stafford showground encase one of the doghobbyists best used venues.It’s accessible location, large halls and endless grounds pro-vide 7 of the 27 English championship shows a home with oth-ers scattered as far north as Blackpool and as far south asBournemouth.Don’t let the deafening sound of yipping and barking put you

off, in fact, it masks the quiet, calm andcontent animals parading around

rings surrounded by fairytalewhite picket fences.

There is no expense sparedat these events, with thedogs even having their ownversion of a red carpet tostrut around on when theycompete for their groupand best-in-show awards.The alluring hobby of dog

showing dates backto 1859, and is ahobby where own-ers and their dogscompete againsteach other inorder to find themost fittingspecimen totheir breeds ‘standard’. This set of points out-lines the typicalbreed features,characteristics andmovement whichjudges look for at shows.The entry with the closest like-ness to this will then be awarded best of breed.There are individual classes according to the age of your four-legged team member, ranging from classes for puppies, to vet-erans over the age of seven. These classes are separated

Page design also byVictoria Wilkins who is studying journalism atStaffordshire University

Staffordshire hosts hundreds ofdog shows throughout the year

get started

the protocol

“”

Crufts is the pinnacle of the dog showing world andStaffordshire hosts numerous qualifying events.

Gundogs like the Large Munsterlander are often shown “top and tail”meaning both the head and tail are extended to show the dog off.

Dogshowing has

helped me not onlyimprove my confidence, but toharness my relationship with my

dog. After getting my dog, I wanted topush myself to get out there and show.It was very difficult to begin with and I

was so nervous, but I had wonderful sup-port from other entrants and got myselfthrough it. No matter what, I enjoy

spending time with my dog, who will al-ways be the best dog to me.- Sarah James, regular visitor to shows in Staffordshire.

“”

Dogshowing is a

great form of socialisationand can be massively reward-ing. It isn’t for every dog, so it’sbest to start out at fun dog shows

where you and your dog can meet like-minded people in a more relaxed at-

mosphere.They’re a great way of making friends

for both you and your dog.

-Roz Hickman, PADs dog training

“”

Staffordshowground hostshundreds of different

shows throughout the yearincluding numerous dog

shows. Staffordshire Univer-sity’s Victoria Wilkins guides

us through the ancienthobby and shows us how

to get involved.

a hound of a hobby